Dozens dead in Zimbabwe

Sunday

Jun 29, 2008 at 12:01 AM

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe came under threat of further sanctions yesterday as President George W. Bush said the United States was working on new ways to punish leader Robert Mugabe and his allies after the widely denounced presidential runoff election.

Earlier yesterday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the United States plans to introduce a U.N. resolution as early as next week seeking tough measures against Zimbabwe.

"We will press for strong action by the United Nations, including an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and travel ban on regime officials," Bush said in a statement issued while he spent the weekend at Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.

The European Union said it would not rule out sanctions against "those responsible for the tragic events of recent months," according to an EU presidency statement.

Friday's runoff election was widely condemned by African and other world leaders. Mugabe was the only candidate, and observers said the few Zimbabweans who went to the polls did so only out of fear.

Human rights groups said at least 86 people died and some 200,000 were forced from their homes. Most of the violence was blamed on police, soldiers and Mugabe militants. There were reports of victims being beaten for hours and bodies mutilated. When the main targets could not be found, relatives - elderly parents, young siblings - were attacked.

"The international community has condemned the Mugabe regime's ruthless campaign of politically motivated violence and intimidation with a strong and unified voice that makes clear that yesterday's election was in no way free and fair," Bush said.

The United States already has financial and travel penalties in place against more than 170 citizens and entities with ties to Mugabe, White House spokesman Emily Lawrimore said. The Bush administration is considering punishing the government of Zimbabwe as well as further restricting the travel and financial activities of Mugabe supporters, she said.

In Zimbabwe, deputy chief election officer Utloile Silaigwana announced on state television that counting had finished in most wards and the electoral commission was waiting for results from a few outstanding wards.

Results would still need to be verified by the national command center before being released, but an announcement was expected as early as today - contrasting sharply with the weeks it took to before Zimbabweans learned opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the first round.

Tsvangirai came first in a field of four in the first round in March, but the official count didn't give him the margin needed to avoid a runoff against second-place finisher Mugabe. Tsvangirai pulled out of the race after the onslaught of violence.

Earlier, Justice Minister and senior ZANU-PF member Patrick Chinamasa said the party was expecting results today. "From the information filtering in, it looks like a clear win for our president," he said.

An announcement of the result is expected before Mugabe leaves for tomorrow's African Union summit in Egypt so he can attend as a re-elected president.

On Friday, residents said they were forced to vote by threats of violence or arson from Mugabe supporters who searched for anyone without an ink-stained finger - the telltale sign that they had cast a ballot.

"There was a lot of intimidation for people to vote," said Marwick Khumalo, head of the Pan-African Parliament observer mission. "You can tell people just wanted to get the indelible ink to protect themselves from the hooligans."

The Herald, Zimbabwe's state-run newspaper, reported yesterday that a massive voter turnout was "a slap in the face for detractors who claimed this was a 'Mugabe election' that did not have the blessing of the generality of Zimbabweans."

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.